(UTV|COLOMBO) – An attack which killed more than 44 migrants at a detention centre outside the Libyan capital could constitute a war crime, a UN official said.
At least 130 people were injured in the attack, which the Libyan government blamed on an air strike by forces loyal to a warlord, General Khalifa Haftar.
Gen Haftar’s forces accuse the government side of shelling the centre.
Most of the dead are believed to be sub-Saharan Africans who were attempting to reach Europe from Libya.
Thousands of migrants are being held in government-run detention centres in Libya. The location of the centre attacked on Tuesday and the information that it housed civilians had been passed to all parties in Libya’s conflict, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said.
“This attack may, depending on the precise circumstances, amount to a war crime,” she said. It was the second time the shelter was hit, she added.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was was “outraged” by the reports and called for an independent investigation “to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice”.
Late on Wednesday, the UN Security Council held a meeting behind closed doors, but was unable to agree on a statement condemning the air strike, after the US said it needed approval from Washington before it could sign it, the AFP news agency reports.
It was unclear why this approval was not forthcoming, but the Security Council meeting ended without issuing a statement.
Libya has been torn by violence and division since long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.
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